Mary Butler (Waterford, Fianna Fail) | Oireachtas source

I would rather not comment on that individual case but I will check it out for the Deputy and see what is the position of the review of that young child's case. I offer my sincere condolences to the family. I can only imagine what it has been like for them in the intervening five months of waiting.

The Deputy is quite right that we need confidence in CAMHS both in Kerry and all over the country. That is why I took a three-pronged approach in the audit. The first audit relates to compliance and the standard operating procedures but we will look at everything, including configuration of teams. Last week and this week, I heard across the floor of the Dáil how some children are finding it difficult to access supports, depending on geographical location. They are falling between two stools. We are going to look at that again. As I said, we are also going to speak with service users - children and young people - and that will be academic research done completely independently of the HSE. The third element is the important prescribing audit.

The Deputy has raised a very valid point. It is something I have raised previously with the Minister, Deputy Donnelly. It is very frustrating as a Minister of State to receive a budget but we find it very hard to recruit people. We successfully recruited 53 staff to clinical positions in CAMHS last year throughout the country. There is significant investment in CAMHS again. It is very frustrating when it takes that length of time. We can be up to eight, ten or even 12 months filling some posts. For example, it took a year and a half to get a consultant psychologist into Wexford. We have challenges in Donegal with dieticians. A decision was taken by the HSE in 2016 when the choice was to leave the post vacant or put in a non-consultant hospital doctor without the experience but with oversight. Unfortunately, the process fell down because the oversight was not available.

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